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Loss of critical information during patient handovers increases risk for subsequent medical errors. Researchers at a level I trauma center reviewed videotapes of major trauma resuscitations and data from written patient records for 96 patients to determine handover transmission rates for 16 anatomic and physiologic data elements relevant to patient outcomes (e.g., prehospital hypotension, oxygen saturation).
Of 1536 potential data points, prehospital personnel verbally transmitted 473 (30%), and the hospital team documented 70% of these data points. Of the remaining 1063 data points that were not transmitted, the element was not relevant (e.g., “death of occupant” in nonvehicular trauma) in 483 cases. The number of data points transmitted pe…